Department for Transport

East-West Rail Link: Freight

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 19 February (HL1348),whetherthey intend to require that the line is (1) designed to accommodate rail freight, (2) to be electrified, and (3) to be provided with suitable rail freight terminal facilities to serve the freight logisitics facilities along the route of the line; what is the latestbusiness case for East West Rail; and whether thatbusiness case includes consideration of any environmental benefits of rail freight use of that network.

baroness vere of norbiton: The strategic scope for East West Rail is currently being developed, including options for depots. Electrification is being reconsidered after previously being descoped to reduce capital costs. At a minimum, passive provision is being provided in construction so that electrification may be implemented in the future subject to value for money and affordability. EWR Co. are considering provision for freight, ensuring the route will support existing freight, and are currently undertaking a study to understand potential freight use. The Western Section of East West Rail is moving towards its Full Business Case, whilst the Central Section is at SOBC stage. As the business cases continue to develop, they will consider the benefits of freight.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Euston Station

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answerby the Prime Minister on 11 February with reference to HS2that they will"take proper control of what is happening at Euston which…has been a shambles" (HC Deb, col 729) and comments in the Oakervee Review of HS2, published on 11 February, that theexisting planned construction of the approachin the form of a tunnelled dive-under is "expensive and exposes major risks to the existing railway and services during construction", whetherthey will instruct HS2 to cease all further temporary works in the area around Euston to avoid possible unnecessary destruction until the new control and management is in place with an agreed design and method of construction.

baroness vere of norbiton: In a statement to Parliament on 11 February, the Prime Minister set out that after careful consideration of the independent Oakervee review, the decision has been taken to proceed with HS2. The Government published the Independent Oakervee Review on 11 February and it is now considering its formal response to the review conclusions and recommendations, including those in relation to Euston. In relation to HS2 works in the area around Euston, in order to avoid further delays to implementation of the HS2 project, HS2 Ltd and its contractors will continue with the current programme of enabling and early works; only where such works will be required regardless of design changes that may arise in response to the outcomes of the Oakervee Review.

Railways: Midlands and North of England

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government who within the government willbe principally responsible for delivering the Integrated Rail Plan described in the Terms of reference for an integrated rail plan for the north and midlands, published on 21 February; and whether, in "working with HS2",they will takeinto account the recommendations of theOakerveeReview of HS2, published on 11 February, which foundthat "HS2 Ltd technical assurance or challenge panels which are made up of experts, some previously involved with the design of the scheme, should be refreshed and reconstituted".

baroness vere of norbiton: As set out in his speech to the New Statesman's Northern Powerhouse conference on 27 February 2020, the HS2 Minister will lead the development of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP). The Government agrees with the Oakervee review that we need to strengthen HS2 Ltd’s governance and capability, and we are taking decisive action to do just that. The IRP is to review arrangements for sponsorship and delivery.

Railways: Electrification

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comparative risks posed to the public by (1) a limited amount of extension of third-rail electrification for which a commercial case exists, and (2) continuing with the existing alternative arrangements of using diesel trains or carrying heavy freight traffic by road.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government is taking a holistic approach and our Transport Decarbonisation Plan will coordinate action across modes to deliver UK transport’s contribution to net zero. We are also supporting work to understand and reduce the railway’s contribution to air pollution. We will take an evidence-based approach to identifying solutions, including taking account of the efficacy of past interventions and of new technological developments. We are supporting work by the Rail Safety and Standards Board to report in 2021 that will consider both the risks of extending third-rail electrification and the risks of not doing so.

Railways: Electrification

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to sanction further extensions to the electrified network in the near future to ensure a continued workload for the skilled labour involved in present railway electrification schemes.

baroness vere of norbiton: Electrification will play a significant role in the government’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050. Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) will help to inform decisions about a deliverable and affordable programme of electrification and use of other technologies.

Railways: Electricity

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 25 February (HL1519), whether they plan to initiate a further upgrade of power supply to cater for any increase in the demand for rail freight or passenger services.

baroness vere of norbiton: The development of the Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and the north will identify whether further upgrades of the power supply, beyond those already planned within the £1.2 billion East Coast Main Line Enhancement Programme, are needed to support extra rail freight or passenger services on the route.

Motorways: Safety

lord goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they propose to take following the evidence stocktake on the safety of smart motorways.

baroness vere of norbiton: Any death on our roads is one too many. We want our roads to be as safe as possible. That is why the Secretary of State asked the Department to carry out an evidence stocktake to gather the facts about the safety of smart motorways and make recommendations. The Department will present the findings of the stocktake shortly. While I would not want to pre-judge the results of that work, what I can say is that we will continue to prioritise improving safety – making conditions safer for everyone on our roads. I will write to you as soon as the stocktake is completed to answer your specific question.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional charging points are planned for installation on UK motorways by the end of 2020.

baroness vere of norbiton: Chargepoints at Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) are installed by commercial operators. The Government is aware of the importance of ensuring chargepoint provision across the Strategic Road Network (SRN) to support the uptake of electric vehicles and to combat range anxiety. Highways England has committed £15m to ensure that there are chargepoints (rapid where possible) every 20 miles on 95% of the SRN by the end of 2020. Last year, work commenced to review the provision of rapid and higher-powered charge points along England’s SRN and we aim to report on this in Spring 2020.

Electric Vehicles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to synchronise any increased demand on the UK electricity supply in line with the growth of electric vehicle usage and the availability of charging points.

baroness vere of norbiton: We will be engaging with stakeholders, including network companies, to ensure that increasing demand can be accommodated, whilst minimising the impact on businesses, workers and consumers across the UK, building on the significant demand and supply side measures in place. The electricity market is already set up to promote investment in generation capacity to meet demand; for example, the Contracts for Difference scheme facilitates significant investment in low-carbon generation. This complements numerous measures to ensure a smarter, more flexible energy system, increasing the efficiency of the electricity system to prepare for electric vehicles (EVs). ‘Smart’ charging of EVs (at off-peak times) can reduce demand from EV charging at peak times; the Government has taken powers in the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act to mandate that all charge points sold or installed in the UK must be smart enabled and we have recently consulted on secondary regulations. The Government has also invested £30 million to support vehicle-to-grid technology, where the storage capability of EV batteries provides electricity back to the grid. Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, is developing its next set of energy network price controls to incentivise network companies to be ready for the future needs of the energy system, including the required capacity to support EVs. Ofgem has a performance-based framework to set price controls, the RIIO (Revenue=Incentives+Innovation+Outputs). Ofgem uses price controls to determine the revenues companies recover, investment they make and performance standards they must deliver. Ofgem’s next RIIO framework will ensure companies make the case for investment needed to support decarbonisation. As part of the RIIO process, Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) forecast the likely uptake of EVs, in order to shape investment plans for reinforcing the network. The regime allows DNOs to seek approval from Ofgem for increased funding, should load growth be significantly higher than anticipated during the price control period.

Electric Vehicles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the estimated increased impact from electric vehicles on the UK power grid system is likely to be by 2035; and what factors were considered in making that assessment.

baroness vere of norbiton: The latest National Grid Future Energy Scenarios report was published last year and sets out the impacts of electric vehicles (EVs) on the electricity system. The electricity market is already set up to promote investment in generation capacity to meet demand; for example, the Contracts for Difference scheme facilitates significant investment in low-carbon generation. In February this year, the Government launched a consultation on bringing forward an end to the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans from 2040. The responses to the consultation will inform our analysis and research, to consider any future grid demand scenarios. The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the electricity system, including Distribution Network Operators, to ensure they are able to fulfil required capacity. Existing mechanisms help to ensure that network and generating capacity will stay in step with growing EV demand, and our work on the smart charging of EVs, at off-peak times, can reduce demand from EV charging at peak times.

Electric Vehicles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measuresthey plan to take to informconsumers about the comparative carbon footprint generated by different electric vehicles in their production.

baroness vere of norbiton: Vehicle manufacture is a global industry and there is no agreed harmonised approach that can be used to inform consumers of the comparative carbon footprint of the production of different vehicles. The Government does not have any current plans to inform consumers about the comparative carbon footprint generated by different electric vehicles in their production. We expect the transition to zero emission motoring to be industry led and supported by the measures set out in the Road to Zero strategy. In 2018, the Department for Transport developed the Transport Energy Model, published alongside the Road to Zero strategy, to provide a clear assessment of the relative environmental impacts of different road vehicle technologies and fuels. This showed that battery electric vehicles in the UK have substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional vehicles, even when taking into account the energy mix of the electricity to charge the battery and the electricity used for battery production. This largely agrees with full life cycle analyses (which also account for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle manufacture) from independent sources. Emission values are highly dependent on the electricity mix of the country in which the vehicle is charged, and the country(/ies) in which the vehicle, battery and other parts are manufactured. They will also vary according to model type, car size and miles driven. To obtain full environmental benefits, electric vehicles and their batteries need to be manufactured using electricity from carbon-free sources. The UK’s £274 million Faraday Battery Challenge is taking steps to ensure the batteries used in electric vehicles are sustainable. This includes research into greenhouse gas emissions over the lifecycle of a battery, from raw materials to end-of-life. By 2050, as the electric grid decarbonises and we further establish UK electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, we expect battery electric vehicles produced and driven in the UK to reach near zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the case fora standardised formula for assessing vehicular carbon footprint to ensure a reliable comparative assessment system that has public confidence.

baroness vere of norbiton: We have not made an assessment of the case for a standardised formula for assessing vehicle carbon footprint. However, the Government has carried out a relative assessment, in terms of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, of different fuel and powertrain options based on outputs from the Transport Energy Model, which was published alongside the Road to Zero strategy in 2018. The modelling makes clear that, even with the current electricity grid emissions, battery electric vehicles are estimated to have greenhouse gas emissions 66% lower than a petrol car and 60% lower than a diesel car. Between now and 2050 we project that grid emissions will fall by around 90%, with total emissions from electric vehicles falling in parallel. As well as considering the greenhouse gas emissions from energy production, we have also considered the emissions from battery production. As battery production is an energy intensive process we would also expect these emissions to fall over the period to 2050. We are clear that battery electric vehicles have substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional vehicles even when taking into account the electricity source and electricity used for battery production.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

lord tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commit to a full global satellite system to replace UK participation in the EU’s Galileo system.

lord callanan: This government has made clear its ambitions for renewed vigour in space, through our new ministerial-level National Space Council and developing a UK Space Strategy to bring long-term strategic and commercial benefits for the UK. A sovereign UK global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is being investigated within this ambition. The very purpose of the current engineering design and development phase (EDDP) is to ascertain the UK’s requirements and how we can meet them, so it’s right and proper that we take the appropriate time to investigate fully, involving our key international allies.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

lord tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of the UK’s new satellite navigation system to replace UK participation in the EU’s Galileo system.

lord callanan: The initial estimated engineering cost in 2018 of a UK GNSS was £3 - 5 billion but this would be subject to the findings of the engineering design and development phase (EDDP). The Government continues to look at a number of funding options as part of the EDDP.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

lord tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many satellites the UK’s new satellite navigation system will have to replace UK participation in the EU’s Galileo system.

lord callanan: The engineering design and development phase (EDDP) continues to define options for a UK Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and it is too early to speculate a final design that will meet the UK’s position, navigation and timing (PNT) requirement.

Galileo System

lord tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they would consider access to the EU’s Galileo system in return for providing UK technical expertise.

lord callanan: The Government’s EU negotiating paper (Future Relationship with the European Union 27 February 2020) does not seek participation or service access to Galileo.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review

lord mcinnes of kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage civil society to contribute to the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The review will engage with a range of stakeholders here and abroad to ensure proper consultation and challenge. We will listen and learn from different voices across the UK and internationally including civil society. Good practice from previous reviews and strategies will be explored when formulating the right approach.

Malaysia: Politics and Government

lord alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the current political situation in Malaysia, and (2) the protection of freedom of religion or belief by the government of Malaysia; and what representations they have made to that government about the protection of religious minorities in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We continue to follow the political developments in Malaysia closely. We look forward to working with the new Prime Minister and his government on institutional reforms and to tackle important global challenges such as climate change.The Foreign Secretary's visit to Kuala Lumpur on 11 February underlined the strong, historic ties between the UK and Malaysia and set out our vision for a dynamic future relationship.The British Government is firmly committed to standing up for freedom of religion, and for individuals to practise their beliefs free from fear. These views are well known in Malaysia, and our longstanding relationship allows us to raise concerns at senior levels with the Malaysian government.I discussed freedom of religion or belief with the then Malaysian Minister for National Unity, Waytha Morthy, in January. Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur regularly raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief with their Malaysian counterparts.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the arrest of (1)Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, (2) the vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Labour Party, Lee Cheuk-yan, and (3) the former chairman of the Hong Kong Democratic Party, Yeung Sum, by the Hong Kong Police; what representations they have made to the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the People’s Republic of China about those arrests; and what assessment they have made of the effect of those arrests on the “one country, two systems” principle, and the protection of freedomsguaranteed for the peopleof Hong Kong under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned by the arrests of Jimmy Lai, Lee Cheuk-Yan and Yeung Sum and are following their cases closely. It is important that due process is followed, and that justice is applied in a fair and transparent way.It is essential that protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue.The Foreign Secretary regularly raises Hong Kong with Chinese and Hong Kong officials at the highest levels. Senior officials are in frequent contact with their counterparts in Hong Kong, Beijing and London.We remain fully committed to upholding Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms underpinned by the legally binding Joint Declaration, and the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework set out in the Hong Kong Basic Law.

China: Coronavirus

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the role of ‘wet markets’ in the global spread of COVID-19.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The virus is believed to have originated in a seafood and live animal market in Wuhan, China in December 2019, but it has since spread widely through human to human transmission. China has now announced a proposal prohibiting the trade and consumption of wildlife. We have been in regular contact with the Chinese authorities since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, including most recently on 5 March when the Minister for Asia met the Chinese Ambassador.

Northern Ireland Office

Abortion: Northern Ireland

baroness o'loan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to place a copy in the Library of the House of the report on the consultation on abortion law conducted by the Northern Ireland Office in November and December 2019.

viscount younger of leckie: I can confirm that the Government will shortly publish its response to the consultation ‘A new legal framework for abortion services in Northern Ireland: Implementation of the legal duty under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019’. The Government will also shortly lay before Parliament regulations providing for lawful access to abortion services in Northern Ireland, consistent with what is required under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019.

Department of Health and Social Care

Electronic Cigarettes

viscount ridley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the World Health Organization's decision to welcome the government of India's decision to ban e-cigarettes; and what plans they have to implement a similar ban in the UK.

lord bethell: The World Health Organization recommends countries either ban or regulate e-cigarettes. The Government has no current plans to ban e-cigarettes in the United Kingdom and they continue to be regulated under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. It remains the goal of the Government to maximise the public health opportunities presented by e-cigarettes to reduce smoking, while managing any risks. UK regulated e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking, but they are not risk free. Research shows e-cigarettes are effective in helping some smokers to quit. We continue to keep the evidence base on e-cigarettes under review and the next Public Health England annual review on e-cigarettes will be published this month.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

viscount ridley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage they pay of the costsof the World Health Organization's secretariat for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

lord bethell: For the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) Secretariat work programme for January 2020 to December 2021, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland pays 5.9240% of the assessed contribution as a member of the Convention. This amounts to $521,340. The UK ratified the WHO FCTC Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, in June 2018, and, as a Member, pays 14.9691% of the assessed contribution. This amounts to $748,411 for January 2020 to December 2021. The WHO FCTC publishes details of assessed contributions online on its website.In addition, the UK Government contributes funds to the FCTC 2030 project, through official development assistance funding, which is hosted in the WHO FCTC Secretariat. £15 million has been committed to the five-year project to support low and middle income countries improve their tobacco control. The project concludes at the end of March 2021.

Coronavirus: Italy

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to test all pupils returning to the UK from school trips in northern Italy for Wuhan coronavirus.

lord bethell: The Department and Public Health England has produced guidance available online on GOV.UK that applies to all travellers returning from northern Italy, including school children returning to the United Kingdom from trips. Laboratory testing for COVID-19 is recommended for returning travellers from an at-risk area who develop respiratory symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19.

NHS: Finance

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Bethell (HL Deb, cols 248 and 253), what measure of inflation they used in the cash figures for the four financial years included in the NHS Funding Bill.

lord bethell: Under the NHS Funding Bill 2019-20, the Government commits to increase investment in the National Health Service in the years to 2023-24 (compared with 2018-19) by £33.9 billion in cash terms.At the time the NHS settlement was confirmed in January 2019, real terms growth calculations used the GDP Deflator forecasts, as set out in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook in October 2018.The NHS funding settlement was fixed in cash terms and it is these cash budgets that underpin the NHS Long Term Plan.

NHS Trusts: Loans

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Bethell (HL Deb, cols 248 and 253), whether (1) NHS Trusts with loans will have to repay those loans or service them from the cash figures in the NHS Funding Bill, (2) new loans will be available from those cash figures for Trusts in financial difficulty, and (3) the new financing framework promised for 2020–21 will be published before the start of the financial year.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of loans to NHS Trusts in financial difficulty at the end of the current financial year.

lord bethell: The National Health Service is funded through the NHS funding settlement for finance costs on loans drawn from the Department. Individual trusts are, therefore, expected to finance loan repayments from either their internal resources or surplus cash generated from operating activities. Those cash reserves are ultimately financed by the NHS funding settlement.Loans are provided to trusts from the Department’s own cash limit set as part of HM Treasury Parliamentary Supply Estimates that are presented to and voted upon by Parliament. The NHS is expected to achieve financial balance within the figures set out in the NHS Funding Bill and that includes covering any deficits associated with loans that have been provided.As explained in the NHS planning guidance dated January 2020, we are considering whether reforms to the cash regime might be appropriate and will provide further detail on this ahead of 2020-21. The following table shows loans issued to trusts in difficulty in the current financial year until 31 December 2019. Interim revenue supportInterim capital supportNHS trusts£830 million£70 millionNHS foundation trusts£630 million£120 millionTotal£1,460 million£190 million

NHS: Standards

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new operating targets for the NHS will be included in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution for England.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will maintain the right to be seen by a cancer specialist within a maximum of 2 weeks from GP referral for urgent referrals where cancer is suspected,contained in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution for England, when new operating standards are introduced.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new operating standard for 28 day diagnosis for cancer, to be introduced in the NHS from April 2020, will be made a right in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution.

lord bethell: The clinically-led review of National Health Service access standards is ongoing. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s final recommendations to the Government are due by the spring.

Hospitals: North West

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS hospital trusts in (1) Greater Manchester, (2) Lancashire, (3) Merseyside, (4) Cheshire, and (5) Cumbria, have completed mandatory autism training of staff.

lord bethell: This information is not available as autism training is not currently a mandatory requirement though under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, employers are required to take steps to ensure that their staff receive support and training to undertake their roles competently.In ‘Right to be Heard’, which was published on 5 November 2019, we outlined our plans to introduce mandatory learning disability and autism training for health and social care staff in England. Work is currently underway with Health Education England and Skills for Care to develop and trial, during 2020/21, a standardised training package, which will be known as ‘the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Learning Disability and Autism Training’. The evaluation of the trial, which will be published at the end of March 2021, will inform future roll-out.

Department for International Development

Sudan: South Sudan

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to guarantee humanitarian access to the civilian population in Abyei.

baroness sugg: The UK is concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan and, as one of the largest humanitarian donors in the country, we are committed to assisting those in need. We welcome the Government of Sudan’s commitment to unfettered humanitarian access across the country, however we note that full humanitarian access has yet to be delivered. The UK has continued to call on PM Hamdok and the Government of Sudan to ensure this commitment is achieved. HMA and DFID officials in Khartoum have continued to engage with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on how we can coordinate and respond effectively to the humanitarian needs across all of Sudan, including in the Abyei region. Furthermore, senior UK officials in Juba continue to urge all parties to abide by the commitments they have made to ensure full, safe, unhindered humanitarian access throughout South Sudan.

Department for Education

Families: Disadvantaged

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to increase the funding available for family support and preventative services.

baroness berridge: the government is providing councils with an additional £1 billion for adult and children's social care in every year of this parliament. This is on top of the continuation of the £410 million social care grant next year. Funding for children’s social care is not ringfenced, allowing councils to spend based on local need and priorities, including on family support and preventative services.This government has also made a commitment to continuing and improving the Troubled Families Programme. £165 million has already been made available for the Programme to be extended in 2020-21. This will ensure that more families get access to the vital early support they need to overcome complex problems such as anti-social behaviour, mental health issues and domestic abuse.

National Retraining Scheme

lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the national retraining scheme will be rolled out across England.

baroness berridge: The government has initiated rolling out the first part of the National Retraining Scheme, Get Help to Retrain. This service helps users to understand their current skills, explore alternative occupations that they could do and find and sign up to the training they need to access opportunities for a broad range of good jobs.Since the start of the roll out of Get Help to Retrain in the Liverpool City Region in July, more features have been added to the service, and it has been rolled out to users in a further five areas. The service will be further tested and improved in 2020.Alongside Get Help to Retrain, we are developing other products that will collectively make up the full National Retraining Scheme service.

National Retraining Scheme

lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people participated in the initial pilot rollout of the national retraining scheme.

baroness berridge: The government has started to roll out the first part of the National Retraining Scheme, Get Help to Retrain, in 6 areas across England.Get Help to Retrain is a digital service that will help users to understand their current skills, explore alternative occupations that they could do and find and sign up to the training they need to access opportunities for a broad range of good jobs.Since the start of the roll out of Get Help to Retrain in July 2019, over 1,000 users have tested the service. The service will be further tested and improved in 2020.Other products are being developed that will sit alongside Get Help to Retrain, collectively making up the full National Retraining Scheme service.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

lord goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Keen of Elie on 24 February (HL1472), why they have no current plans to review Part Three of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

lord keen of elie: Part 3 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (“LASPO”) makes a series of amendments to the existing sentencing and release framework, very few of which are standalone provisions. Furthermore, some of the LASPO provisions have subsequently been amended, or even repealed. It would therefore be difficult to isolate the impact of the amendments brought in by LASPO from the impact of other provisions, or to identify a causal link between the specific LASPO changes and wider factors in crime and sentencing.

Department for International Trade

Type 31 Frigates

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in finding an export market for the new Type 31 class of frigate.

viscount younger of leckie: Work to identify an export market for the new Type 31 class of frigate is on-going. A General-Purpose Frigate Export Working Group (GPFEWG), with representatives from cross-Government and Industry, has been set up and is responsible for supporting the realisation of Type 31 export opportunities in support of the National Ship Building Strategy (NSBS). The GPFEWG is meeting regularly to agree the export opportunities and the strategy to pursue them.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Travellers: Hate Crime

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle hate crimes against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The Government takes hate crime against all communities very seriously, which is why we published the hate crime action plan (Action Against Hate: The UK Government’s plan for tackling hate crime) in July 2016. This plan was refreshed in October 2018.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is supporting Herts GATE (Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment) with over £75,000 of funding in 2019/20 to encourage reporting and support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) victims of hate crime.In November 2019 the Crown Prosecution Service held its second National Scrutiny Panel on hate crime affecting GRT communities. The Panel considered issues relating to the investigation and prosecution of GRT hate crime and subsequently produced an Action Plan of commitments, including working with key departments across Government to raise awareness of the issues. This followed a first Action Plan that was published in February 2017.

Buildings: Insulation

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many buildings still have illegalaluminium composite material cladding.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: Information on the number of high-rise (over 18m) residential and publicly owned buildings in England with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems, unlikely to meet building regulations and yet to be remediated, is published in the building safety programme monthly data release, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-january-2020.At 31 January 2020, there are 141 high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England that have completed remediation works to remove and replace ACM cladding systems – an increase of six since the end of December.This leaves a total of 310 high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated in England. Of the 86 social sector residential buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated:• 75 have started remediation;• 10 have a remediation plan in place but works have not started; and• 1 building has reported an intent to remediate and is developing plans. Of the 175 private sector residential buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated:• 32 have started remediation;• 100 have a remediation plan in place but works have not started; and• 43 have responded with an intent to remediate and are developing plans.



BSP monthly data release Jan 2020
(PDF Document, 885.47 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Finance

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invest further in flood defences.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government is doubling funding for flood defences to £5.2 billion in this week’s Budget, helping to build 2000 new flood and coastal defence schemes and better protecting 336,000 properties across the country.

Agriculture: Subsidies

lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the recent adverse weather conditions, what consideration they have given to suspending the requirement for farmers to grow three different crops in order to qualify for payments under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2020.

lord gardiner of kimble: We are working closely with the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) to look at all the available options to support farmers who are being affected by wet weather issues. The RPA has published online guidance to provide advice around crop diversification requirements and force majeure. We encourage farmers to look at that guidance in the first instance. We are currently exploring what options are available to us to offer flexibility to the 2020 Basic Payment Scheme rules now we have left the EU.

Food: Marketing

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to promote British food and beverages.

lord gardiner of kimble: Food and drink exports are a success story, increasing to £23.6 billion in 2019. The Government is determined to help showcase and promote our excellent food and drink even more in the years to come.The Government promotes UK food and drink through Defra’s ‘Food is GREAT’ campaign. The campaign helps raise the profile and reputation of UK food and drink overseas, by building global demand and increasing positive perceptions of our food and drink products. It uses the UK’s growing reputation for quality food and drink, with high standards of food safety, animal welfare and sustainability as an excellent platform to increase demand for our products still further. ’Food is GREAT’ promotes excellent food and drink products from across the four nations of the UK. Most recently, the campaign showcased Northern Irish gin, Scotch Whisky, Welsh seafood, and English Sparkling Wine to Japanese consumers, trade and media in events coinciding with the Rugby World Cup. The campaign is also active in other priority markets including the USA and China, as well as within the UK.

Floods: Property

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) advice, and (2) funding, they have provided, or intend to provide, to help property owners protect their properties from flooding.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: Since 2016 Defra have been working with industry through a Property Flood Resilience Roundtable to explore how business, homeowners, and Government can reduce the impact of flooding through greater awareness and the use of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures. Following the unprecedented flooding in November and following the recent storms, Government announced Property Flood Resilience recovery grants of up to £5,000 in affected areas to help eligible homes and businesses become more flood resilient. Between 2015 and 2021 the Environment Agency is spending approximately £3.6 million of grant in aid on PFR resistance measures for households at very significant risk. In additional, the Government is funding a £2.9 million PFR Pathfinder project which aims to boost the uptake of PFR measures through education, advice portals and innovative initiatives to make homes and buildings more resilient to floods.

Property: Insurance

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or intend to have, with the insurance industry about incentivising property owners to protect their properties from (1) flooding, and (2) wind damage.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: Since 2016, Defra has worked with insurers and other industry representatives through a Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Roundtable to take forward technical issues and develop pathways to deliver greater uptake of Property Flood Resilience. A ‘Code-of-Practice’ to improve service delivery has recently been published by the group. Flood Re have published their Quinquennial Review into the future development of the scheme, including ways to incentivise PFR, which the Government is carefully considering. We have not had any discussions with the insurance industry on wind damage.

Floods

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide more data to local organisations and communities to help them prepare for future floods.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Environment Agency (EA) publishes data and maps for England on coastal erosion risk and flood risk. This includes a five-day flood forecast, river levels and flood warnings. The EA makes, and will continue to make, this and other environmental data openly available for download so that it can be used by individuals, communities and local organisations free of charge. The EA will continue to improve these digital services based on feedback.The EA will be releasing an updated flood information service (https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings) in spring 2020 which will feature more impact information, rainfall information and improved navigation. In addition, the EA is working with Fujitsu, EE and the University of Hull to undertake trials of Cell Broadcasting technology (https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/cell-broadcast-trial), and is intending to work with other Government bodies to help to implement this service to warn those at highest risk in advance of flooding.

Home Office

Human Trafficking: Children

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money has been allocated to fund independent guardians for trafficked children in the current, and each of the last three, financial years; and how much they intend to allocate for such purposes in 2020–21.

baroness williams of trafford: Over the last three financial years, the Home Office has allocated approximately £3m to the provision of Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) in early adopter sites, broken down as: 2017/18, £0.5m; 2018/19, £1m; 2019/20, £1.53m. Home Office budget allocations for 2020/21 are currently being agreed.

Human Trafficking

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many victims of human trafficking who receive a positive conclusive grounds decision have (1) had the recovery needs assessment, and(2) been granted additional support; what is the average length of time assigned to victims under the recovery needs assessment; and how many of those who have been granted additional support are waiting for an immigration decision from the Home Office.

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) non-EEA, and (2) non-UK national, victims of trafficking with a positive conclusive grounds decision have received support following a recovery needs assessment.

baroness williams of trafford: The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s system for identifying and providing access to support for potential victims of modern slavery.Potential victims have their individual support needs assessed on entry to the NRM and through contact with their support worker while they remain in the system awaiting a conclusive grounds (CG) decision. The Recovery Needs Assessment is conducted after a positive CG.The RNA enables support workers to consider whether a victim has any ongoing recovery needs arising from their modern slavery experience.The information requested on RNA data does not currently form part of the published NRM statistics. The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics regarding the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statisticsThe UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2019-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery



Modern Slavery Report - 2019 
(PDF Document, 1.78 MB)




National Referral Mechanism Stats 
(PDF Document, 339.62 KB)

Human Trafficking

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many victims of human trafficking in England and Wales with a positive conclusive grounds decision received discretionary leave to remain in 2018–19, and on what grounds.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics regarding the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics and the UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2019-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slaveryStatistics on the total number of people granted discretionary leave for all reasons can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2019A positive conclusive grounds decision does not result in an automatic grant of immigration leave. However, the Single Competent Authority (SCA) will consider whether a grant of discretionary leave is appropriate based on the victim’s individual circumstances and usually after consideration has been made by UK Visas and Immigration of any existing applications for more advantageous forms of leave.The grounds for granting discretionary leave to victims of modern slavery, which includes human trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour, can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739436/dl-for-victims-of-modern-slavery-v2.pdf



National Referral Mechanism Stats 
(PDF Document, 339.62 KB)




Annual Report - Modern Slavery 
(PDF Document, 1.78 MB)

Human Trafficking

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many victims of human trafficking with a positive (1) reasonable, and (2) conclusive, grounds decision are currently held in immigration detention.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does record the number of all individuals referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) this information is published quarterly and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-referral-mechanism-statistics-quarter-3-2019-july-to-septemberThis information does not distinguish between those detained under immigration powers and those living in the community. The reason for this is two-fold, firstly because the NRM referral is not an immigration route by which individuals should regularise their stay in the United Kingdom and secondly, because a person’s status in immigration detention is not permanent and can change.The use of immigration detention in all cases is subject to regular reviews and consequently, a change in circumstance may result in a different consideration. It is quite possible that an immigration detainee is referred to the National Referral Mechanism during a detention period and is re-leased into the community at any point during that process.As National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals, Reasonable Grounds and Conclusive Grounds decisions are considered separately from immigration enforcement action, there is no central record of those who have received a positive (1) reasonable, and (2) conclusive, grounds decision and are detained under immigration powers. The Home Office therefore does not collate or publish the data requested.Published data on the number individuals held in immigration detention can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2018/how-many-people-are-detained-or-returned 



National Referral Mechanism Stats -2019 
(PDF Document, 339.62 KB)

Human Trafficking

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to incorporate EU Directive2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims into UK law.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to eradicating human trafficking and the scourge of modern slavery.The UK currently gives effect to obligations on modern slavery under The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT), Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive (2011/36), through the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and policy guidance.At the end of the EU Exit transition period in December 2020, the UK will no longer be bound by EU law. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and relevant policy guidance will be unaffected. The UK will remain bound by international obligations in relation to preventing and combatting human trafficking and modern slavery.

Police: Graduates

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers in England and Wales of the rank of Assistant Chief Constable, or equivalent, are university graduates.

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers in England and Wales of the rank of Assistant Chief Constable, or equivalent, and above areBAME.

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers in England and Wales are currently serving on secondment abroad.

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Chief Constables, or equivalent, in England and Wales served in another force in a chief officer rank before being appointed to their present post.

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Chief Constables, or equivalent, in England and Wales were promoted to that post from the post of Deputy Chief Constable, or equivalent, in the same force.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the police workforce on a biannual basis. The latest statistical releases are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesThe annual “as at March” release contains information on the ethnicity of officers by rank. The rank of ‘Chief Officer’ includes all ranks above Chief Superintendent, and the latest information shows that as at 31 March 2019, 2.6% of Chief Officers were BAME.Data on promotions can also be found in the “as at March” edition of this release. However, as the rank of ‘Chief Officer’ includes all ranks above Chief Superintendent, promotions within Chief Officer ranks are not collected and we are therefore unable to say how many Chief Constables were promoted from the rank of Deputy Chief Constable or equivalent.The releases also contain information on how many officers are on secondment, however, data are not collected on the location of those secondments.Information on whether officers are university graduates, or whether they served at the same rank in another force are not collected.



Police Workforce England and Wales 
(PDF Document, 1.54 MB)

Extradition: USA

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been extradited to the United States under the UK–US extradition treaty of 2003.

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people extradited to the United States under the UK–US extradition treaty of 2003 were accused of (1) offences related to terrorism, and (2) finance-related charges, including wire fraud.

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of those extradited under the UK–US extradition treaty of 2003 entered a plea bargain in the US judicial system.

baroness williams of trafford: The Extradition Treaty between the UK and the US came into force on 26 April 2007. Since that date 133 people have been extradited to the US. Of those, nine were extradited for terrorism offences and 57 were extradited for finance-related charges, including wire fraud. The following offences have been included in this broad category of criminality:Wire FraudBriberyFraudConspiracy to DefraudTax Evasion / OffencesSecurities FraudMoney LaunderingComputer FraudMail fraudInformation on plea bargaining is not centrally recorded by the Home Office.All figures are from local management information and have not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such they should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change. The figures do not include Scotland, which deals with its own extradition cases.

Immigrants: Detainees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were held in immigration detention in the UK at the start of each of the last five financial years; how many were compulsorily deported in each year; and what proportion of deportations were of (1) people at the end of court sentences, and (2) unsuccessful asylum claimants.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes data on people in detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of people in detention on the last day of each quarter are published in table Det_D02. Data on people leaving detention every quarter by reason for leaving (including whether they were returned from the UK) are published in Det_D03 of the Detailed Detention datasets.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2019. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the 'summary tables'. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’. Q1 2020 figures will be released on 21st May 2020.The term 'deportations' refers to a legally-defined subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. Information on those deported is not separately available and therefore the ‘returned from the UK’ category in the leaving detention by reason figures, refer to all enforced returns and voluntary departures.

Cabinet Office

Trusts

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they give to the political views of an individual being considered for a trusteeship which they have to approve.

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they give to statements revealing views opposed to Brexit when deciding on public appointments.

lord true: Public appointments are made by Ministers following the Governance Code on Public Appointments. This Code sets out the principles that should underpin all public appointments, including those appointments that Ministers have delegated to others.

Public Bodies: Location

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public bodies they plan to move from London and the south east of England to elsewhere in the UK during this Parliament.

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new public bodies they intend to establish as a result of the UK leaving the EU; how many of those bodies they plan to be located outside London and the south east of England; how many people they expect those people to employ in (1) London and the south east of England, and (2) elsewhere in the UK; and when they expect any such bodies to be established.

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government which executive agencies they are considering moving from London and the south east of England to elsewhere in the UK; how many staff they (1) expect to relocate, and (2) intend to recruit from local workforces; and when they expect any suchmoves of agenciesto be concluded.

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Non-Departmental Public Bodies they are considering asking to movefrom London and the south east of England to elsewhere in the UK; how many staff they (1) expect to relocate, and (2) intend to recruit from local workforces; and when they expect any such moves of those organisationsto be concluded.

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil service roles have been moved from London and the south east of England to elsewhere in the UK since the establishment of the Places for Growth programme; and how many of those roles were filled (1) by existing staff relocating, and (2) by recruitment to fill vacancies in the new location.

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many roles in Non-Departmental Public Bodies have beenmoved from London and the south east of England to elsewhere in the UK since the establishment of the Places for Growth programme; and how many of those roles were filled (1) by existing staff relocating, and (2) by recruitment to fill vacancies in the new location.

lord true: The Government is clear the administration of government needs to be less London-centric. The Cabinet Office has established the Places for Growth programme to drive the necessary planning and preparation within departments and public bodies to locate roles and bodies out of London in the regions and nations of the United Kingdom.The programme has introduced a presumption against the creation of new public bodies with a base in London. As such, 15 new public bodies have been established out of London since 2017.Plans are focusing on the relocation of roles, through natural churn and new recruitment, rather than relocation of staff in post. It is intended that the majority of relocated roles will be recruited from local labour markets, offering career progression for civil servants throughout the UK.

Treasury

Free Zones

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether existing and new freeports will be required to maintain the rules and precautions on plant and animal hygiene that now apply in all other ports; and if not, why not.

lord agnew of oulton: Freeports will be subject to the same high standards for plant and animal hygiene that apply in other UK ports. We are currently consulting on the policy model underpinning Freeports. However, any eventual Freeport policy model will maintain the UK’s high standards for security, safety, workers’ rights, and the environment.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Data Protection

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for introducing legislation to permit the legal ownership of personal data.

baroness barran: The word ‘ownership’ usually implies certain rights over a property such as being able to use it, sell it or give it away, but this is unlikely to be a workable concept in the wide range of circumstances that processing of personal data occurs. Data protection legislation in the UK does, however, impose obligations on data controllers to process personal data lawfully and transparently in a way that individuals would expect. It also gives individuals specific rights in relation to their data. These include rights to seek access to, rectify or erase their data or to object to its continued processing.

Broadband

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) body, or (2) individual, is accountable for the delivery of gigabyte-capable broadband for all by 2025.

baroness barran: DCMS is the lead Government department for the delivery of gigabit capable broadband, working closely with the telecommunications industry and other Government departments.Government is delivering a number of reforms to make it easier for the private sector to deploy gigabit broadband. For example, the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill will make it easier for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive landlord. The Government also intends to bring forward legislation to ensure new build homes have the infrastructure to support gigabit capable connections. In addition, the Government intends to invest £5 billion of funding to deliver faster broadband in the hardest to reach areas of the UK.

Internet: Safety

baroness hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with online media platforms to ensure readers and users of their comment sections are not subject to online harms.

baroness barran: DCMS ministers and officials regularly meet stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, including online media sites and their comment sections. The Government published the initial response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation in February 2020. This confirmed that the Government is developing legislation on online harms to establish a new duty of care on online companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. This framework will make companies more responsible for their users’ safety. For comments sections on media sites, the legislation will not duplicate existing regulation.

Arts Festivals

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they provide for the promotion of literary festivals.

baroness barran: Through Arts Council England (ACE) we are investing and promoting the arts and culture all around the country. ACE provides funding to a number of literary festivals including the Manchester Literature Festival and Ilkley Literature Festival, and in 2019/20 will provide over £3.7 million to a number of organisations and festivals that promote literature.

Sports: Equality

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with Sport England about the practical application of the Equality Act 2010 in sport; and what were the results of any such discussions.

baroness barran: Government’s sport strategy Sporting Future and Sport England’s strategy Towards an Active Nation set out both organisations’ commitment to creating a diverse sport sector. DCMS have regular meetings with Sport England to discuss diversity in sport. These meetings cover a wide range of issues including increasing participation amongst under-represented groups, such as those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, and ensuring a more diverse workforce. Outputs from Sport England’s work in this area includes: The ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, which encourages women to get active regardless of shape, size and ability and seeks to break down the barriers that prevent them from doing so. The campaign has inspired 3.9 million women to take part since its launch in 2015 Work with a range of partners to increase BAME participation in sport and activity. Sport England published their ‘Sport for All’ report in January 2020, showing how people from BAME communities are taking part in sport and physical activity. Launched in response to low rates of participation in many BAME communities, this invited and challenged partners to address the ethnicity gap in sport participation, with Sport England committing to leading a joined-up approach to tackle this across the sport sector. Work with leading board recruitment agency Perrett Laver to increase diversity at board level within national governing bodies of sport, with 65% and 75% of appointments to date being BAME and female candidates. Investment in programmes that help disabled people get active and make sport more inclusive of their needs. Sport England also ensures that programmes for disabled people are included across each of their investment programmes, and are investing £1.6m from 2017 - 2020 into seven National Disability Sports Organisations who represent specific impairment groups. Sport England has also worked alongside leading charities including Age UK to develop the ‘We Are Undefeatable’ campaign, aimed at supporting people with long-term health conditions to be active. Sporting Future asked Sport England to treat LGBT+ people in the same way as it does other groups protected by the Equality Act 2010. This enables sports to get the same expert help from Sport England and its partners with tackling increasing LGBT+ participation as they do with the other protected characteristics groups and they are making investments into key delivery partners to support their work in this space. For example, Sport England has invested £80,000 into Pride Sports to support Sport England with mapping all LGBT+ specific sport activity across the country and to deliver a LGBT+ summit event to offer insight, strategies and good practice solutions for engaging LGBT+ people in sport.

Women and Equalities

International Women's Day

baroness mone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to mark UN International Women’s Day on 8 March.

baroness berridge: International Women’s Day is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women in the UK and across the globe.As you are aware, the UK Parliament has held debates in both Houses to mark this important event. The House of Commons debate was led by the Minister for Women and Equalities, Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, who delivered the opening statement. Maria Caulfield MP closed the debate.I opened the House of Lords debate as the Minister for Women, and it was closed by Baroness Sugg. Thank you for your personal contribution.The Prime Minister hosted an International Women’s Day Reception in Downing Street on Thursday 5 March where he gave a speech and took part in a panel discussion with inspirational women from across a range of sectors. Representatives from business, science, and sport, among other areas, attended, alongside school pupils. International Women’s Day is an important moment and receives significant press attention. As such, Government Equalities Office planned communications ahead of this year's event. This included the Government Equalities Office digital and campaign plans for a series of content featuring women activists and change makers, and Ministerial content including to showcase excerpts from Parliamentary speeches.